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You're OTP at Hogwarts.

O___O aaaaah…

You want me to write my thoughts on it or to write a short story (YEAH RIGHT, SHORT! AS IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE!) of it?

Because… I guess I’ll do both! :D

Naturally Azula will be Slytherin, that can’t even be questioned. Sokka is a smart guy… though a brave guy too. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw? Weeeeeell, for the sake of opposites and for fueling their rivalry… I guess we’ll have him in Gryffindor xD

Surely they’re both top of the class and houses, because Azula is a prodigy and Sokka is a very talented student, as proven by canon. Azula’s favorite subject… either Transfigurations or Potions. I’m pretty sure she’d have fun transfigurating things when nobody’s watching just for the sake of creating a little chaos xD and she enjoys concocting plots… why not potions? xD Sokka would like Defense Against the Dark Arts, surely.

And the finishing touch… they’d both play quidditch, surely. Azula gets to be Slytherin’s main chaser, while Sokka is Gryffindor’s beater. She keeps evading his bludgers and Sokka gets increasingly frustrated by that xD yet in turn he’ll probably manage to frustrate plenty of her attempts at scoring with the help of his team mates. Once they’re more advanced they could both be team captains and then we get all that crazy tension pouring out in that ‘friendly’ handshake before the game begins…

—————-

“I expect a fair game, from both teams. Am I clear?"

The handshake was firm, their gazes colliding as they missed out on the words from the referee, Master Piandao. Gold clashing against azure, her green robes contrasting with his red tunic… determination poured out of both of them. They refused to let the other win. They would claw their way into triumph, no matter the cost… because in the game between them, neither could accept losing.

It had been that way ever since Azula had entered Hogwarts, so many years ago, and landed herself in Slytherin. Sokka was friends with her older brother, Zuko, who was the bane of the family for winding up in House Gryffindor. Azula had come to gloat the day after her Sorting at the Gryffindor table, and Sokka had lashed out to help his friend immediately. Surprised by this boy’s quick defense of her brother, Azula had grown uneasy regarding Sokka at first, but it took her no time to decide he was simply another great target to tease and mock.

It had always been fun to deal with the Gryffindor peasant, as she liked to refer to him. Mostly because he would always have an answer for everything she dared say to him, and that amused Azula. She wanted to know how far could she take him until he couldn’t help but snap…

They were two years apart in school, but the age difference barely mattered when Azula always acted as though she were much older than she really was. The young Slytherin had also taken upon learning as much magic as she could, looking up complicated spells in books that she was certain nobody else her age could conjure.

One time she had been meaning to reach out for a book in the Library… and he happened to reach for it at the same time. Naturally, an argument had ensued over who had reached for it first, who needed it more, who wasn’t an advanced enough witch to read that, who wasn’t a competent enough wizard to understand it…

In the end, the argument had escalated to the point of both of them being sent to detention upon being caught on the verge of casting spells at one another. Sokka hadn’t cared at all about earning himself a detention, Gryffindors happened to land themselves into trouble at all times, but Azula was downright horrified. And what horrified her most was the fact that the detention had been comprised by helping out Professor June, of Care for Magical Creatures, in sorting out the food to feed the animals. And the sorts of food they ate was even worse than the creatures, or so it seemed to Azula.

Sokka had been rather amused by watching her struggle with the worms destined to be eaten by the jobberknolls, but aftewards he decided, and he made it clear it was against his better judgment, to take upon that task himself. He had left her with the responsibility of cutting up the lettuce for the flobberworms while he dealt with the more disgusting meals, that included dead rats and small birds for some of the larger creatures.

Such display of kindness from him had baffled her. She had spent her first two years in Hogwarts pestering him non-stop… and yet he had decided to spare her from an unpleasant task and taken upon it himself. Why? She couldn’t understand it. Was it just because she was his friend’s sister? Maybe that was it… but she doubted it. Being Zuko’s sister hadn’t made him nicer to her before this incident…

They became a bit more cordial after this, but mostly because now Azula was simply curious towards Sokka. He hadn’t changed in the slightest, he remained the same foolish Gryffindor she had enjoyed irritating so much… and yet she couldn’t get that simple act of kindness out of her mind. Were all Gryffindors like him? Or was it just… him?

On her third year, she concluded it was just him. If all other Gryffindors were as interesting as he was, girls would flock towards them too, wouldn’t they? It had began with that Ravenclaw, Yue… upon seeing them holding hands the first time, Azula’s stomach sank even though she barely understood why. He was a dumb peasant, a fool whose spells kept backfiring on him, her brother’s moron friend… what did it matter to her if he dated someone or not?

Upon that, she had began pestering him again, to Sokka’s slight confusion. They had been getting along quite well for a while, and yet there she was, barging into the middle of what should have been his private picnic with Yue to tell him this was her area of the Lake and that they should scram. Sokka had been confused at first, and willing to oppose Azula, yet Yue had told him not to worry, that they could go enjoy their picnic elsewhere. Sokka had smiled at her, being the goof in love he was, and done as she wished, to Azula’s chagrin.

On a visit to Hogsmeade, she had barged into Madam Puddifoot’s along with her two Slytherin friends, Mai and Toph (the latter was only a First Year, but she and Azula had bonded quite quickly upon realizing they were both quite talented in magic and also in irritating other people), to discover the shop was full… hence she had asked her dear friend Sokka if perhaps he minded they sat with them. Sokka had been horrified, but Yue had accepted the company with a smile. Sokka had dragged Azula out of the shop a moment later, asking her what was she trying to pull. Azula had found herself unable to answer with anything but a smile, at which Sokka had been rather confused. Since when did Azula smile at him? Her gesture had frozen him cold, and Azula had entered the shop again. She had told her friends that perhaps they would do better in another store, and the three of them had walked off again. And now Sokka was VERY confused.

Sokka’s question had actually gotten the engines in Azula’s mind moving. What was she doing? Why did she care so much about whom he dated? She felt so foolish afterwards that she had began avoiding Sokka, to keep him from asking any questions about her intentions towards him ever again. Because she didn’t know what she wanted from him, and she sure as hell didn’t think she was ready to find out.

His relationship with Yue hadn’t lasted long, though. The girl had been transferred out to Beauxbatons on her sixth year, and Sokka had been left behind, moping over breaking up with her… but to Azula’s irritation, Sokka’s depression had subsided quite quickly when he had found himself his next girlfriend, that lame Hufflepuff girl who had always been friends with Sokka and Zuko. Now, Azula could understand that Sokka might be attracted to Yue… but this girl, Suki? Was his taste really that bad?

Well, if it was, then all the more reason she should have nothing to do with him.

Sokka had been quite surprised when Zuko arrived to the common room one day, looking slightly disturbed. Sokka had asked him about what bothered him… and Zuko had revealed, to Sokka’s utter shock, that Azula had gotten involved with one of her Slytherin seniors, Jet. Zuko could hardly understand how his sister had found herself a boyfriend… Sokka could hardly understand why suddenly he felt like punching that cocky guy on the face. He had never gotten along with Jet, but to think he was with Azula, of all people… It wasn’t as though he cared much about her, because he didn’t! But… but she was his friend’s younger sister. And he knew Jet was no good for her.

Azula had raised an inquisitive eyebrow when Sokka had asked her for a word. She had told him she had final exams to worry about, yet he had insisted he needed to talk.

"He isn’t good news, Azula!” Sokka had insisted, and Azula had just shaken her head in utter disbelief.

“And what should it matter to you if I date someone who ‘isn’t good news’?” Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… it shouldn’t have mattered to you either back then” Sokka had replied, lowering his gaze.

Azula had felt the color rushing to her face, and she had clenched her fists. He had no business saying that… he had no right…

“Look… I get that you had been looking out for me like you would for Zuko” Sokka had continued “So let me look out for you as I would with Katara: that guy is just no good for you, Azula”

Azula’s blush had vanished as she looked at him in utter disbelief.

“Looking out for you as if you were…? As if I saw you as a brother?” Azula asked, with a dangerous smirk.

“W-well… yeah?” said Sokka, surprised by the sudden change on her demeanor.

“So… you see me as if I were your dear little sister?” Azula asked next, folding her arms over her chest.

“N-not exactly” Sokka had muttered. This wasn’t going half as well as he hoped… oh, this girl was going to curse him any time now, he knew it, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d done it… “That’s… that’s beside the point, you know? I’m just trying to keep you from making a mistake that will ruin your life forever!”

“Ah… too bad you and I never agree on anything, though” said Azula, approaching him as her voice tone changed unexpectedly.

“Wha-…?” Sokka had muttered.

“You see… if you want to keep me from making a regrettable mistake, then I’ll feel far more willing to make it” Azula muttered, standing only inches from him.

Suddenly Sokka was too aware of the fact that this girl in front of him was Azula. Suddenly he was too aware of the fact that, aside from being Zuko’s sister, she was a girl… Suddenly he was too aware of the fact that she was far prettier than he had ever realized. It was because of that malice, those wicked smirks that always warned him that she was up to no good, that he had never quite taken her beauty into account…

And as those thoughts scrolled through his mind, her hand had darted up to his tie and she had pulled him down to her, joining her lips with his.

Sokka’s hands had gone to her shoulders instinctively, in order to push her away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It took him a moment to register the fact that he was kissing her back quite enthusiastically, kissing that very girl who had always annoyed him, the one who would call him names and who had too fun a time by transforming the cover and back of his books into wings. The books would fly away from him and he would be left screaming in despair, wondering how was he supposed to return that to the Library now while she laughed at his misery…

That very mischievous girl was here now, still pulling his tie as she put her everything into that kiss. And he couldn’t push her away. He wouldn’t. His fingers dug into her arms now, and he brought her closer as he kissed her back more passionately than he would have expected from himself.

Azula found herself wishing she could have cast a spell that enabled them to keep kissing despite lacking air… but if such a thing existed, she hadn’t learned it. They had pulled away after a while, panting and looking at each other in utter disbelief. They were both involved with someone else at the moment… they shouldn’t have done this! And yet…

Zuko had barged into the common room two days later, now looking relieved. Sokka had hardly looked up from the book he was reading upon his friend’s arrival. He truly wasn’t reading, though. All he could do was relive that kiss in his mind, that forbidden kiss, that wrong kiss that had felt so right…

“She broke up with him” Zuko had declared, dropping on the couch next to Sokka. Sokka jumped at that.

“W-wha…? Who broke up with who?” Sokka asked, trying not to look too eager at the bit of news Zuko had brought him.

“Azula with Jet” said Zuko, smiling “I think she had just gotten with him to annoy me, she’s got to know I hate the guy… but it surprises me she broke up with him so fast. Here I thought she would be willing to marry him just to spite me…”

Sokka felt like a fool for having been so eager to hear about Azula breaking up with Jet. It shouldn’t concern him… it shouldn’t! But nothing was the same after that kiss… nothing could remain the same. And he was well aware of that.

Azula was a Quidditch prodigy, or so had said Master Piandao when he had first watched her flying on a broomstick. Thus, nobody had been too surprised when Azula had been given the position of Team Captain on her fifth year. Most her team was comprised by boys taller and burlier than she was, and yet she ruled them with an iron fist. They admired her, and they also feared her. And that pleased her.

Training for the Slytherin Quidditch Team had begun quite early in the school year, as their new Captain had wanted it. Azula would often train her teammates until it seemed they were about to pass out of exhaustion. This time, though, they had been dismissed early because of a storm that had begun pouring when they were still flying. Training in those conditions when it was already getting late seemed a bad idea to Azula. She didn’t want anyone in her team catching a cold that would render them unable to continue training properly, or worse, to miss out on an official match.

Yet she would always stay behind in the dressing rooms after every training session, and today’s rain wouldn’t make that any different. She was rather busy trying to figure out strategies for their first game of the year… their game against Gryffindor, the team Sokka led.

The sole thought made her stomach flutter. She hadn’t talked to him ever since they had kissed, and she had only seen him in passing a few times after returning to Hogwarts. He was supposed to graduate this year… The idea shouldn’t bother her in the slightest, she would be better off as far from him as she could be. She had broken things off with Jet… but for all she knew, Sokka was still dating his dumb Hufflepuff girl. And if he could still date her after the kiss they had shared…

Ugh, thinking about that just made her sick to her stomach. Of course he could date her, she had been the one who had kissed him foolishly, who had broken up with Jet because she had thought maybe he would follow her lead… but he had absolutely no obligation to do what she had. Especially not if he just saw her as a younger sibling… again, the idea made her want to vomit. How could he see her as a sister? Did his sister despise him as much as she did…?

The door to the dressing room opened with a creak, to her surprise. The sound of the rain pellets plummeting down was all she heard before she lifted her head to see if perhaps one of her teammates was returning to pick up something he had forgotten…

Never had she expected to find the Captain of the very Team she had been planning to defeat.

“I… I was told I’d find you here…” Sokka muttered, breathing heavily. It would seem he had come down to the dressing room in a full sprint.

Azula looked at him in surprise before rolling close the parchment she had been developing her plans on. She stood up from the desk she had been sitting at in order to glare at Sokka threateningly.

“My, my… if it isn’t the Gryffindor Captain barging into the room to discover what strategies Slytherin’s Captain had developed to defeat his lousy team. And then they say we’re the cheaters…”

“Wha-…? I didn’t come here to steal your strategies!” said Sokka, looking at her in disbelief. His hair was dripping wet.

“No? Then why are you here?” Azula asked, frowning “Shouldn’t you be wasting your life away with your petty girlfriend?”

Sokka found himself lowering his gaze as he chuckled, amused by her response. Why hadn’t he realized what that behavior of hers meant until they had kissed? She had begun pestering him again right when he had gotten himself a girlfriend the first time… and she had turned extremely hostile towards Suki when he had started dating her. It all made sense… and he had been too stupid to see it. No wonder he wasn’t in Ravenclaw…

“I don’t have a petty girlfriend anymore, Azula” Sokka muttered.

Azula’s eyes widened as she looked at him in astonishment. He didn’t…? Then… things were over between him and Suki?

“And I actually haven’t had one for months now” said Sokka “We broke up before last year’s End-of-Term Feast, even”

“How…? But…” Azula looked at him in astonishment.

“How did you not know?” Sokka asked, amused “I think you and your brother need to communicate more. He’s well aware of it”

“B-but… why?” Azula asked “How, all of sudden, now… why did you…? Why do you think this would matter to me at all?”

“Well, I…” said Sokka, being the startled one now “I just… I figured…”

“You figured I… I would want to be part of your set, is it?” Azula asked, raising her eyebrows “You’ve got Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff down, so now you’re out for the Slytherin?”

“That’s not… no!” said Sokka, surprised “Why would I do something like that?! You think I’m collecting girls?!”

“I have no reason to think otherwise” said Azula, shrugging “After all, you did say you were looking out for me as you would for a sister…”

“I… I said something stupid” Sokka muttered “That was… that was the wrong way to put it”

“Oh, was it, now?” Azula asked, glaring at him.

“I didn’t really understand what I felt until… until I looked into your eyes, I think” Sokka said, looking at her earnestly “I thought I was just worried about you as I would be over Katara, if she were to date a guy I don’t approve of… but if she finds herself a good guy, I’d be fine with her relationship. But… but with you, I just…”

“What?” Azula asked, her heart thumping in her chest as she waited for him to finish exposing his thoughts.

“With you, I don’t think I’d be fine with any relationship you’re in” Sokka muttered, his cheeks reddening slightly “E-even if the guy you choose is great, I… I would want to bash his skull inwards with my bat just because he’s with you and I’m not”

Azula’s eyes widened at that. How had this come to pass…? How was this soaking wet Gryffindor confessing he liked her when she had thought there was no hope for them? How…?

“I… I want to be with you, Azula” Sokka muttered, looking at her again.

“Oh…?” Azula said, gripping her scroll a little tighter than she should. Her nails dug into the paper and she was sure she was ripping it up, but she barely cared right now “Well, I think… I think it won’t work out well for you to bash your own skull inwards with your bat…”

“What…?” Sokka said, blinking a few times in disbelief.

“You did say you wouldn’t be fine with any relationship I had, doesn’t that include a potential relationship with you?” Azula asked, shrugging carelessly.

Sokka looked at her in disbelief. He had just poured his heart out to her, and this was her response?! Well, he should have seen it coming… clearly, she was just covering up for insecurities. And he could accept that, despite wishing he could take her into his arms right now to kiss her again. If she needed time to consider getting involved with him, he had no say upon the matter…

“R-right…” Sokka said, smiling “Does sound like a bad idea to do that to myself. So… yeah. I guess… that’s that, then”

Azula was surprised when he backed down without a fight. What had happened to the Gryffindor boy who would always have a response to everything she dared throw his way? But she could see the hurt in his gaze… she could see he was stepping back because he didn’t want to cross any boundaries that existed in their relationship. He thought she didn’t want him anymore… he thought he was too late.

But he wasn’t.

“I’ll see you around, then” said Sokka, turning to leave. Oh, how foolish he felt right now… he really had messed everything up. If only he had understood what Azula meant to him sooner…

… but her hand reached out and gripped the back of his damp tunic. Sokka turned around in surprise to find Azula looking at him in despair.

“Azula…?” he muttered, as she stepped towards him, dropping her parchment in the process.

“I… I just…” she whispered, not knowing how to word what she wanted to say. The feelings were there, the urge was there as well… so why couldn’t she just tell him what she wanted to say? Why couldn’t she tell him she had been in love with him ever since he had showed her the kindness nobody else ever had? Why couldn’t she tell him she didn’t want him to leave? Why couldn’t she just…?

Sokka could see through her, though. Those blue eyes of his had always been able to look straight into her soul… and he could see what she was concealing beneath the surface. He knew she wanted him… he had known so for long enough now. And he wanted her too.

So what was he wasting time for?

He surrounded her waist with his arms and leaned down, pulling her close as he kissed her for the second time.

Azula felt herself melt in his arms, guessing that maybe he was a little more clever than she had ever given him credit for… thank goodness he had been able to understand what she had been incapable of saying.

Her arms went around his neck as she kissed him back fiercely, still trying to get her feelings across without saying a single word. And to her amazement, he understood it all. It almost seemed as though they were talking in a language that only they knew how to speak…

From that day forth, they began sneaking off to meet each other whenever they found an opportunity. Yet every stolen kiss, every caress, every flirty smile, was a secret. Nobody knew they were involved. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, together? When was the last time such a combination had been seen in Hogwarts? Azula was bound to become the subject of all trash-talk amongst her fellow Slytherin, given that she would choose a Gryffindor over one of their own, and Sokka would likely go through the same thing. Worse yet, he would have to deal with Zuko and with Katara, who had been Azula’s Gryffindor nemesis ever since they had first met…

… and all of this, for some reason, simply served for them to wish to show everyone what the true nature of their relationship was. But they hadn’t found the right moment. They hadn’t found the right place…

So as he looked at her, their hands linked, their eyes clashing in that battle of blue and gold, Sokka knew they only had this one chance. The entire school had its eyes upon them both right now… This was the right moment, the right place. And this way, nobody would have to lose on the long run. This way, no matter what the outcome of the match was, he was sure he would feel like a winner because this girl was his. And he was hers. What did they have to fear so long as they were together?

“Uh… the match is set to begin right now, you two” said Piandao, frowning. That had been a very long handshake, even for the standard handshakes between the most vicious Gryffindor-Slytherin rivals…

Sokka’s eyes flickered towards the man for an instant before making up his mind over what he’d do now. A hint of confusion passed by Azula’s own eyes just a second after Sokka pulled her to him, releasing her hand in order to take her into his arms as he dropped his broomstick.

It was almost by force of instinct that she lifted her head towards him… and thus she stood paralyzed for a moment as she registered that he was kissing her in front of the entire school.

Piandao’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Well… that was something he definitely hadn’t seen before between the most vicious Gryffindor-Slytherin rivals…

Azula couldn’t help but smile for a moment before deepening the kiss, pulling Sokka down by his tunic in order to show she wasn’t backing down, not when it came to Quidditch, and especially not when it came to him.

And naturally, the crowd roared just a moment later. A Gryffindor and a Slythering making out in the middle of the Quidditch pitch… This was definitely going to be the subject of gossip in Hogwarts for the rest of the year.

“What the… w-what the…?” Zuko mumbled on the Gryffindor stands, unable to give credit to his eyes.

“He’s not actually… Oh, Merlin’s beard, I’m going to kill him” said Katara, averting her gaze. How could her brother be kissing THAT girl, out of all of the girls there were in Hogwarts…?

Azula dropped her own broomstick as well, cupping Sokka’s face with her now free hand. Sokka could hardly believe what they were doing, even when he was the one who had started the kiss… but he wasn’t oblivious to the scandal that was currently unleashed in the stands. Still, all he could do was smile as he continued kissing Azula, much as he had that very first time when he had done so until his lungs were screaming for air.

“Uh… the match… the match!” Piandao exclaimed, at which Sokka flinched.

He parted from Azula, unable to keep from smiling as she panted, opening her eyes to look at him in disbelief.

“I don’t think I told you I had an idea for how to let everyone know…” he said, between chuckles.

Azula couldn’t keep from laughing as well, yet she pushed him away with a smile before leaning down to pick up her broomstick. Sokka simply beamed at her before imitating her actions and heading towards his teammates, his broom and bat in his hands.

Azula’s Team looked at her in utter shock, as though that were the most absurd scene they had ever witnessed. Yet Azula wouldn’t quit smiling. She couldn’t quit smiling. And neither could Sokka, upon reaching his teammates who looked at him all the same as the Slytherin were staring at their team captain. Ironically, who knew Slytherins and Gryffindors could be so similar? Just now the only difference between them was the color of their robes.

“Uh… well, very well… let’s begin” said Piandao, clearing his throat and opening the chest where the balls were held.

Azula’s eyes still didn’t leave Sokka’s, even when the game was about to begin. Perhaps they had just showed the entire school they were together, and the outcome of this particular game wouldn’t be of the same importance as that big revelation… but it still mattered to her. It still mattered to him. And precisely because their feelings for each other were as strong as they were, because the outcome of this game wouldn’t change their relationship at all, they would jump headfirst into this game with all their might.

They exchanged one last smirk with a hint of determination just before Piandao tossed the Quaffle into the air…

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